flying high

Sometimes I wonder... is one bird in charge of flight orders, or is it a group instinct that causes a flock of birds to head out together?

These Canada Geese were flying on the inland side of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

pure magic

It was still a bit chilly when I headed out this morning. Fog stayed with me as I drove to the east, heading for the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. I was very lucky; the fog was just starting to lift when I arrived. As I looked to the south there were low clouds, a wall of white.

I walked to the south for quite a while before reversing direction to head back. As the fog and low clouds disappeared the sky wore a beautiful shade of blue.

The light was pure magic.

More photos from today's beach walk can be viewed in the gallery Parker River and... 2015 starting with this photo and ending here.

top photos :: 2015

It's an interesting exercise looking through all of the photos that I published during the year with the goal of selecting what I considered to be my top 10 images of the year. Somehow choosing 10 photos eluded me; like last year, 13 photos jumped in front of my eyes.

I'm happy with a "top 13". In date sequence, here are my favorites from 2015.

sheathed in ice

painted

snowy footprints

on edge

a sea of yellow

coastal wonder

quarry cliffs

curled petals

celosia spicata

sculpted rocks and reflection

chrysanthemum in pink

reflecting clouds

flurries float above Eagle Lake

These photos are collected into the gallery top photos :: 2015. If you'd like to see larger versions of the photos or you would like to view them as a full screen slideshow, click here to jump to the gallery.

first snow

Today is a day of changing precipitation, a day that started with snow. I just returned from a walk slowed a bit by sometimes slippy conditions.

My layers were perfect for comfort. Between my rain jacket as a top layer and waterproof snow sneakers I was toasty and dry.

According to the National Weather Service the current conditions are freezing rain, fog, and mist.

airport art

I was walking through the Philadelphia Airport this evening when I saw a series of clay sculptures by Peter Morgan titled "All Aboard".

Two pieces of the sculpture made me laugh. The subject? It's a dachshund standing on a train car, dressed as a piece of corn and interrupted by a wall.

For a description of the art and artist, click here.

watching

The weather has been more like spring than winter lately but it appears that is soon to change. There is now a winter weather advisory posted for tomorrow night into Tuesday evening.

My fingers are crossed for a flight into Boston tomorrow night. I'm hoping that the flight will leave as scheduled. The snow isn't predicted to start until after I'm home but given that the storm is flowing across the country I suspect that air travel tomorrow may not be ideal.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW...SLEET...AND FREEZING RAIN...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 8 PM MONDAY TO 7 PM EST TUESDAY. * HAZARD TYPES...SNOW...SLEET...AND FREEZING RAIN. * ACCUMULATIONS...OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED TO BE AROUND 2 TO 4 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS...ALONG WITH AROUND A TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE. * TIMING...SNOW WILL BEGIN AROUND MIDNIGHT MIXING OVER AND CHANGING TO SLEET DURING THE EARLY MORNING PERIOD BEFORE CHANGING OVER TO FREEZING RAIN BY MID-MORNING ... THEN RAIN BY AFTERNOON.

I'm watching the weather. Are you?

two seasons

Walking down the same path on days two months apart provided a view of two seasons, a glimpse of early autumn as compared to the entry to winter.

The photos below were taken on a trail near the end of the Jesup Path boardwalk in Acadia National Park.

on October 14, 2015


on December 19, 2015

photos! Downeast solstice

Photos from my quick visit to Downeast Maine are available for viewing in the gallery Downeast solstice.

snow flurries after a squall, at Eagle Lake

Interested in words too? You can find my ramblings in the blog entries tagged Acadia 2015-12.

a tree

A tree stands at the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula, decorating the rock with a touch of green.

home

It was 23 degrees and windy outside (with the wind chill reported at 12 degrees!) when we woke up this morning. Denise thought maybe we would wander the trails in a wildlife refuge in Ellsworth before we headed for home but I convinced her that it would be a very cold wander. I think she would have opted to walk anyway until I reminded her how cold her fingers get on really cold days. This morning it was really cold!

We're home now, and I'm helping Denise look through the photos from our quick wander. Here's one from a favorite place, the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula.

--- Rover